Holly Prange
SCARLET
I push the door open slowly to avoid it creaking, with the silver burning my skin. The hallway is dim and silent as I step out, the air cold against my skin.
I move quickly but cautiously, each step calculated. The stairwell at the end of the hallway beckons, a promise of freedom. As I approach it, I prepare to shift into my wolf form, hoping to increase my speed and stealth.
Just as I begin the shift, a guard comes barreling down the staircase. I barely have time to register his presence before he tackles me, slamming me to the ground.
The force of the impact knocks the breath out of me, and I feel the cold metal of cuffs snapping around my wrists once again, the silver burning into my skin.
“No more games,” he growls, dragging me up roughly. “You had your chance. Now you’ll learn the hard way.”
I struggle against his grip, but the silver saps my strength, leaving me weak and gasping by the time I’m thrown back into the cell. The door slams shut, the lock clicks into place, and I’m left panting on the cold floor.
The guard’s eyes glaze over. After a few moments, he points at the camera.
“Uncover that, now. Or would you prefer to play with those?” The guard points to the display of silver and wolfsbane.
I hurry to uncover the camera. I throw a last-ditch effort out. “I want to talk to the one who greeted me before I went to the cells.”
“You’re in no position to make requests, girl,” the guard walks off and pulls a chair to the end of the hall. I lost my chance to escape.
I realize now that everything I have learned about fated mates is a lie. I was always told that they are chosen for you by the Moon Goddess herself.
They are your other half. They complete you. Their touch can bring you calm, and their presence can make you brave. Your mate will love you unconditionally, and you will be stronger together. What a load of crock.
All my mate has given me is a brief stay at an infirmary and a dungeon. I don’t even know who he is. However, at one point I could feel his strong aura.
Typically, that type of power is only for alphas… though I don’t know why it didn’t affect me. Plus, the only alphas that reside in the main part of the city are the three eldest Kane brothers, Ethan, Alex, and Xander. Goddess… please do not let my mate be one of the Kane brothers.
The man that was in the infirmary was named Alex… Could he have been Alex Kane? Alex is a common name though, right?
I pinch the bridge of my nose and lean my head back against the stone wall.
My stomach begins to rumble. Tiredness envelopes me, and I decide to try and get sleep.
***
My sleep is broken each time there is a guard change, but I try to refresh my energy. Once I can’t sleep anymore, I go back to pacing.
Time moves slowly as I occupy myself with thoughts of not only my supposed crime but also the Scourge, of escaping, and of my mate. I try to distract myself, try to think of a solution, anything.
Unfortunately, the thing my thoughts linger on the most is that of my mate. The sexy, low timbre of his voice, his muscular biceps and broad shoulders that stretched the material of his shirt, the light stubble that covered his chiseled jaw… And of course, his mesmerizing blue eyes.
They were bluer than the sky, and the contrast with his dark hair and tanned skin seemed to make them that much brighter. I could stare into his eyes for days. If only he wasn’t proving to be such an ass.
The next time I try to sleep, I’m jolted awake by cold water being thrown on me. They’re now preventing me from getting any rest.
Every time I try to sleep, cold water greets me. My pleas for food and water are ignored. I can already feel my mind becoming more and more exhausted and addled. I’m not even sure how long this goes on for. Days?
This is definitely not how I expected this to go. I rub a shaky hand over my stomach. I hope their plan isn’t to leave me down here until I die of dehydration or starvation.
More time passes before I hear the familiar clang of the metal door at the top of the stairs. Loud, clunky footsteps echo through the stairwell as I wait to see who it is. For some reason, part of me is desperately hoping to see my mate.
Maybe he’s finally here to set me free, tell me he’s sorry. I look toward the approaching sound and am disappointed when my interrogator appears before me. He slowly steps up to my cage and kneels down to eye level. I notice he’s holding two glasses of water.
I scoot closer to the bars, careful not to touch the burning silver. Instinctively, my tongue swipes over my cracked lips as I eye the refreshing beverage.
He narrows his eyes at me and passes one of the glasses to me. I continue to look at him as if I’ll be able to make sense of what’s going on by just examining his facial expressions. The refreshing, cool liquid glides down my parched throat, and I let out a small sigh of relief.
He takes the glass back from me before asking, “Why did you kill those men?”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t. Why would I? I have no motivation to kill anyone,” I try to explain like I’m speaking to a toddler.
“If you’re as innocent as you claim, why are your fingerprints on the murder weapon?” He insists. I don’t have any idea what the murder weapon is and why my prints were on it. My mind whirls.
“I don’t know. I have no idea why any of this has anything to do with me.”
“I want the truth. Speak,” he demands, clearly losing the small ounce of patience that he has.
“I swear, I’m telling the truth.”
He doesn’t respond and only glares at me, trying to figure out how to proceed. I swallow the lump in my throat. That small sip of water certainly wasn’t enough to quench my thirst.
He seems to notice this and passes the other glass of water to me. This time when the water passes my lips, a horrible stinging sensation fills my mouth and spreads down my body.
I instantly begin to gag as I bend over on my hands and knees and begin heaving up the little bit of water that I just drank. My eyes begin to water as I continue to retch up bile. The man stands up, grabbing his two glasses.
“I only want the truth. No more lies. You know something but you’re choosing to lie. Next time, speak only the truth or we’ll start doing things the hard way,” he warns.
“Why are you doing this?” I say, confused and defeated.
“Alpha protects his pack above all else, and you have something to do with those murders. Think long and hard about information that can help us and maybe we can make this all stop,” he says before turning and walking away.
All I can manage is to crawl away to a cleaner part of my cell where I collapse and curl up into a ball.
Hugging myself tightly, tears begin to slide down my cheeks. How much longer are they going to keep me down here?